夜桜 Yozakura
by Sakura no Mai
Summary: "… You and I are of the same body, same mind and the same heart… if it's not Tsurara, it's no one." "I can't help it… everything around me reminds me of him… if it's not Rikuo-sama, then it's no one" SERIOUS FLUFF Post Omake or "extra" chapters at the end of the Manga. SPOILER WARNING (To be safe)
1. Chapter 1

FIRST FIC! R+R please!

If I owned NuraMago, this WOULD have happened... (But the story, names and characters belong to Shiibashi Hiroshi)

This is a multichapter 'fluff piece' if you will. This particular chapter is completely of Tsurara-chan's point of view... ENJOY!

* * *

_**Chapter 1; Cherry Blossoms in the depths of Winter (Tsurara's POV)**_

"_If you used your ice, we could get out of here__"__ Rikuo-sama had said as he peered down at me. That hadn__'__t even crossed my mind. I was too busy trying to calm my pounding heart; lest he might hear it. _

"_That__'__s right__…"__ I agreed, __"__We could get out really quickly__…"_

_I certainly wasn__'__t comfortable; something hard was poking me in the back, but I didn__'__t want to leave. Rikuo-sama was just so close! It was intoxicating__…_

"_But just for a little bit longer__…__ can we stay like this?__"__ I felt my lips move and form these words without me __truly __realizing__ it. Ahh, what did I just say?! I __looked__ to Rikuo-sama__'__s face still above me. A momentary look of shock past across his features, w__hich was then replaced by an expression of passive determination. Was his face getting closer?_

"_R-Rikuo-sama?__"__ I managed to splutter out; faces now inches apart. My mind goes blank._

_Eh__…__ My heart is pounding so hard the sound fills my ears__…_

_Um__…__ I close my eyes__…_

_Our lips almost touch__…_

"Aotabou you absolute moron!" I yell without realizing it.

Everyone around me started and stared at me.

"Yuki-onna, what's wrong?" asked Keijourou nervously. _Maybe she__'__s lost it..?_ "What did Aotabou do?"

This time I jumped. I was in the kitchen, commissioned by Keijourou to dry the dishes; lest Wakana-sama breaks them all.

"Ah! Umm,,, nothing… nothing at all." I stammered, "I'm perfectly fine," I added as the surrounding yokai were giving me dubious looks, "See?" I tried to laugh it off; but all that came out was THE most unconvincing 'ha ha….haa' you'll ever hear.

"…Ok," piped up Natto-kozo, "what were we talking about again?"

"You mean Rikuo-sama's weird behavior?" asked Keijourou.

I almost let the plate I was drying slip from my hands; I held on for dear life.

"W-what weird behavior?" I was _trying_ to sound nonchalant.

"He's locked himself in this room since returning from school." Answered Keijourou, "But he won't say what's bothering him."

"Maybe he's ill?" I suggested.

"Oh no~" sang Wakana-sama, "He's perfectly healthy~"

Everyone turned to her.

"Ahh~" she sighed, placing her hand lightly to her heart, "the wonders of youth. Such a magical time~" She smiled and turned to me, "Right, Yuki-onna?"

There was no stopping it this time. My treacherous plate was determined to give me away and landed on the floor with an all telling crash.

"Ah! Yuki-onna!" cried Keijourou.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!" I apologized to everyone. I promptly collected the shards of broken china and scurried out the room.

The others returned to their dishes.

"I didn't know Yuki-onna could turn_ that _red…" said Keijourou with a grin.

"Ahh~ Youth~~" sighed Wakana-sama again, "Oh!"

Another plate met the floor having slipped through Wakana-sama's giddy fingers.

"We're going to need more plates…" whispered Keijourou.

* * *

I threw myself onto my futon. I was blushing so furiously I felt almost feverish. I clutched my pillow.

"So Rikuo-sama has locked himself in his room… I wonder if he…"

'He' what..? He's… regretting it? Wishing it never happened? Thinking of ways to escape?! Wishing to never see me again?! Wishing it had been with Kana instead?!

_STOP! _I inwardly yelled. _Dark and gloomy thoughts will get you nowhere, _I chastised my worried heart. _Yeah, but__…_

"I need some fresh air." I declared to my pillow. I drifted to my sliding door and gently opened it.

It was a glorious spring night, and it was still warm despite the sun having set hours ago.

_Summer is definitely coming, _I thought with a shudder. As a yuki-onna it was written in my genes to hate summer and all the heat it brings. But spring; I don't mind. A warm breeze brought with it the sweet smell of cherry blossoms from the tree that bloomed in the courtyard. I took in a deep breath. Rikuo-sama always sat in that tree; his kimono always had the faintest scent of the blossoms linger on them. It's my favourite scent…

I found myself drawn to the cherry tree. I stepped into my geta and wandered silently to the blooming tree.

I stood as quietly as a statue in front of the blossoming tree, Long, flowing branches covered in delicate pink blossoms surround me. They contrast beautifully with the dark, inky sky. I can't help it; my thoughts turn to Rikuo-sama.

Tears fill my eyes; I can't help it… I'm sorry… memories of everything Rikuo-sama had accomplished; everything we had done together... every time he saved me…

The breeze picks up again and makes the sweet boughs sway around me.

I can't help it… my head and heart are full… everything reminds me of him… my feelings will never change. I… I-!

"I can't help it… If it's not Rikuo-sama; it's no one," I whisper to the scattering blossoms, "I love you, Rikuo-sama."


	2. Chapter 2

FIRST FIC! R+R please!

If I owned NuraMago, this WOULD have happened... (But the story, names and characters belong to Shiibashi Hiroshi)

This particular chapter is completely of Rikuo's point of view... ENJOY!

* * *

_**Chapter 2; I stared in wonder at the Cherry Blossom's dance (Rikuo's POV)**_

"_But for a little bit longer__…__ can we stay like this?__"_

I hadn't expected her to say something like that. And the _look_ she gave me… I-I couldn't help it. I didn't say a word; she must have thought I was… I just grabbed her and tried to… tried to—

_*Sexually __assault__ her?* _added an amused voice.

I sat bold upright. My _youkai _half appeared in my consciousness.

"_N-No!__"_I yelled at my _youkai _self, _"__That wasn__'__t my intention-!__"_

_*What __**was **__your intention?* _A grin spread across his face.

"_I__…__ errr__…"_How do I answer that?!

My _youkai _self sighed and went silent as if in deep thought.

Maybe now he'll shut up.

I threw myself unceremoniously onto my futon. Ever since I had returned from school I had locked myself in here; afraid, but mostly embarrassed to show my face.

"I'm so stupid." I exclaimed aloud, and then buried my face into my pillow.

I soon felt the warm haze of sleep come over me…

* * *

"_Is it finally time..?__"__ sang a completely drunk Karasu-tengu, __"__For our Nura clan to have a fourth heir?__"_

_The crowd erupted into __rapturous__ and slurred cheering, as I tried not to show my embarrassment. I took another sip of my sake._

'_Shut up Karasu, or I__'__ll make you regret__…__ everything__'__ yelled my angry thoughts; quickly drowned by what was probably too much alcohol. _

"_Rikuo-sama..? Is there a young lady who you wish to marry?__"__ continued Karasu-tengu __unabashedly__. _

_This began a tirade of drunken suggestions and shouted guesses as to who that might be._

"_It__'__s gotta be the human girl Kana, right?__!"__ bellowed Aotabou._

"_Or the one you fought with.. Yura?!__"__ slurred Kurotabou._

_I took another sip. Perhaps, a long time ago, it might have been Kana; if I had never chosen to accept my _youkai _blood that is. I had been so desperate to cling to my ideal of normalcy and being human back then; perhaps it had been more of a desire to be __'__normal, everyday human Nura Rikuo__'__ than any actual desire for Kana herself. And Yura..? Ah, no. She__'__s great, she__'__s strong and she__'__s a friend. _

_A loud, booming voice broke my reverie._

"_No, n__o! Surely it'__s one of the female _youkai_ among us?__"_

_My heart skipped a beat. I drank liberally from my sake dish._

… _I asked for more sake._

"_I knew it, Yuki-onna!__"__ cried a triumphant voice._

_Just keep drinking, gurgled a thought, they won__'__t notice a thing. I promptly drained my sake dish in a swift gulp._

_It seemed as though the others hadn__'__t noticed anything anyway; other names were now being drunkenly shouted about the room._

_And then__…__ and then__…__ I don__'__t remember__…_

_Suddenly the scene changed. _

_He was pointing his sword at Gozumaru, after finding __…__ injured; being enveloped in pure darkness battling Tamazuki and Yosuzume, and feeling a familiar and comforting __presence__ leaning against his back__…__ watching Tsuchigumo grab__…__ and carry her away__…__ standing with__…__ side by side against Tsuchigumo again__…__ Hagoromo-gitsune__…__ the Monogatari clan__…__ Abe no Seimei__…__ leaning in to finally kiss__…__ her__…__.almost-!_

* * *

"Damn you Aotabou!" I found myself yelling. I was wide awake now.

It was past nightfall, and the moon light shone through my sliding doors.

I couldn't deny it anymore. Not now that I know my feelings. Not after what I had _done._

_*It__'__s impossible now* _spoke my _youkai _side.

'_What?__'_

_*It__'__s as you said; __'__We can__'__t deny it anymore__'__*_

'_Does that mean..?__'_

My _youkai _half smiled.

I was looking at myself in my mirror. A look of surprise painted across my face. My _youkai _self appeared in the mirror's reflection beside me.

_*You and I are of the same body, same mind and of the same heart.*_

'_Does that mean-?__'_

_*Yeah* _My _youkai _self's grin had turned somewhat sheepish, and our faces both held the same pinkish colour, _*If it__'__s not Tsurara; it__'__s __no one__*_

I walked to my sliding doors, pulling them open. It was a quiet spring night; unseasonably warm. As I stood and stared blankly into the darkness, my _youkai _half spoke up again,

_*The night, of __course__, is my time. But I__'__ll let you, human me, off just for this night.*_

I nodded and pondered my next move. A breeze blew. It was slight, but this breath of wind was oddly cool. It was refreshing… and reassuring.

I stepped into the courtyard and headed for the favourite spot of my _youkai _self; the cherry tree.

* * *

Thank you so much for R+R! ^^

(In response to a previous comment, I reviewed the NuraMago manga in English and Japanese, and found a discrepancy between the translations of certain characters' names. However, I am using the direct Japanese names as printed in the Japanese versions of the manga.)


	3. Chapter 3

FIRST FIC! R+R please!

If I owned NuraMago, this WOULD have happened... (But the story, names and characters belong to Shiibashi Hiroshi)

This particular chapter is now in the third person... ENJOY!

* * *

_**Chapter 3; Cherry Blossoms against an ink black sky**_

_"I can't help it… if it's not Rikuo-sama, then it's no one… I love you, Rikuo-sama…"_

A light wind whispered around Rikuo, however he did not feel it. He was listening; frozen to the spot he stood. Was that…? Had that been…?

He attempted to creep silently back to his room, but ended up tripping over his own geta and falling hard, with a loud thud, against the wall of the mansion.

Tsurara started. Someone, unseen, was near! Maybe they'd heard her!

"Who's there?" she called out, preparing to freeze the first thing that moved.

Rikuo flinched, and he knew he couldn't escape now; though he would give practically anything to just stop time and get away.

This was all coming from his head; shouting at him to run and fast; lest she find you and you turn into a living ice carving.

It was the pleas of his heart that stopped him fleeing. It had heard quite clearly Tsurara's whispered words; she said that she… couldn't help it… if it wasn't me… she'd pick no one… that she-!

_*__…__ loves you; me; us; as a single being; as Nura Rikuo__…__* _finished Night Rikuo, _*Don__'__t screw this up human me!*_

Human Rikuo grinned; he was so incredibly happy. His heart was pounding; he felt giddy and almost sick with nerves. He took in a deep, calming breath. He stood up and turned the corner to face her; his feelings giving him new courage.

Tsurara turned to the sound of approaching footsteps, ready to blast the eavesdropper with the full force of her power, when she saw with astonishment that it was Rikuo that appeared before her.

'Ri-kuo…sama..?!" She could barely breathe. Of all the people who could have overheard-!

"Ah, um… Rikuo-sama did you hear-?" she began, stealing a look at his face to see any reaction; she then stopped mid sentence.

Rikuo had a look of determination as he slowly came towards her; he never broke his gaze from her eyes.

Tsurara's heart skipped a beat; wasn't that the same expression he had this afternoon, right before he… Tsurara's thoughts trailed off.

He came closer; she found herself leaning against the cherry tree's thick trunk; she couldn't escape if she wanted to.

As Rikuo walked closer still, he could have counted the eyelashes encircling her eyes he could feel the warmth of her cheeks, reddening with blush.

"Rikuo-sama…"

He had closed the gap completely and stood directly in front of her; eyes locked, mere inches apart.

"Did you… did you hear me?" Tsurara whispered.

Rikuo simply nodded.

"That… that was-" Tsurara's blush deepened, "for the school play! Yes! I was rehearsing!" What am I babbling about? "A-and I got the words wrong! All an accident! So-!"

Tsurara was suddenly silent. Rikuo had placed a gentle hand on her cheek.

"I…" he began, gathering all of his courage, "I love you too, Tsurara…"

Tsurara felt her face being guided forward as Rikuo leaned in and finally pressed his lips to hers.

It was tentative and shy; Tsurara had had barely any time to register what Rikuo had whispered to her. But once it did, she responded by grabbing the front of his blazer; unwilling to let the kiss go just yet.

They broke their kiss, but remained close to each other.

"You didn't believe me about the play thing did you?" Tsurara asked tentatively.

Rikuo grinned "Not even a second." He said, and touched his forehead to hers.

A beautiful smile graced her face, "Finally…" she breathed.

The pair continued to embrace each other under the protection of the magnificent cherry tree.

* * *

Out of sight of either Rikuo or Tsurara, Nurarihyon sat watching the moon. Floating near his left ear, Karasu-tengu was in tears.

Nurarihyon sipped his tea.

"There's no need to get so emotional Karasu," he said, smiling, "Kids grow up all the time. Besides," he took another sip, "She's rather a fine choice don't you think?"

"It's not that!" cried karasu-tengu, "Does Rikuo-sama not realize how dangerous it is to kiss a yuki-onna?!"

"Oh, he'll be fine" Nurarihyon chuckled, taking another sip of tea.

* * *

END

… or is it? I _do _have a few plans up my sleeve for a possible continuation; but this was supposed to be the actual ending when I first planned this fic.

FYI: 夜桜 or Yozakura refers to cherry blossoms at nighttime; an image which is used a lot in NuraMago and I think suits Rikuo (Both Night and Human) to a T.

Thanks everyone!


End file.
